Blond Hair and Chestnut Fur
by kyootness
Summary: AU Poor Feliciano was despairing. He had been turned into a cat and forcibly shipped to the Human World. He needed someone to take care of him. And maybe, if he could make that blond girl take him home...  fem!Ludwig
1. PROLOGUE

And here I am with another story! Yes, I know what you're thinking: another gender bender? Does this girl hate yaoi? Of course not! But I thoroughly enjoy gender bender Gerita, and usually it's Feli who's the girl. In this one, it's Ludwig! And as per usual, it's already done so no hiatus!

Am I cool yet.

Enjoy!

* * *

Feliciano knew that something was not right. Natalia had summoned him in her house.

She never let anyone who wasn't her direct family in her house. So why would she want him there of all people?

Feliciano never wanted anything to do with that girl. She was a notorious obsessive – compulsive witch who wanted to make her own brother marry her.

But she had offered, or more appropriately demanded, that he do a job for her.

Feliciano was a famous wizard who had perfected the creation of love potions, but his fame was not only due to his progresses in potion – making. He was also a renowned scaredy – cat who chickened out of anything that even faintly smelled like trouble. So he had turned down her offer.

She had been very angry at first, but Feliciano would not change his mind. After all, her brother was a big guy. Should something go wrong with the potion, he'd have had Feliciano's ass for dinner.

And when Natalia had called him and ordered him to go to her house, he had been pretty scared. He was not going to change his mind, but refusing the witch's offer could prove to be a not – so – smart thing to do.

So there he was now, sitting in Natalia's house, waiting for her to be finished with her tea so she could tell him what she wanted and he could beat it.

Natalia coughed a bit and said "So, you are completely sure that you're not going to make me that love potion. Not even if I'm willing to pay a fortune for that. Correct?"

Feliciano swallowed. "I'm sorry, Natalia. I really don't think it's a good idea."

Natalia's eyes flashed red. "Is this your final answer?"

Feliciano tried to keep his voice steady when he finally answered "Yes. I'm sorry."

What happened after his refusal, Feliciano could not clearly remember. He recalled Natalia suddenly getting up and launching herself at him. He remembered that while he was pinned down on the floor she had slipped something in his mouth.

When he woke up, things looked a bit different from what he remembered. Everything seemed bigger, and he himself didn't feel quite right.

Natalia's face was hovering over his. She too looked bigger than normal.

She had a crazy grin on her face. She told him "People don't say 'no' when I ask something of them."

Feliciano cowered and shook his tail.

Wait a minute.

Tail?

Suddenly Feliciano realized that things were not bigger than they were. It was him who had shrinked. Feliciano put his hands in front of his eyes.

Paws! He had cat – like paws!

He frantically turned his head to see what had happened to the rest of his body.

Holy shit! He was a cat!

He wanted to yell at Natalia, but only mewling sounds came out of his mouth.

Natalia gave a maniacal laugh.

"That's what you get for disobeying me!"

Feliciano was scared. He was trying to think of a way to sort this out.

Every potion had an antidote, or a way to break the curse. He needed to figure out this one. There had to be a way...

Natalia suddenly took him in her arms.

Feliciano mewled and tried to scratch and bite her, but she would not let him go.

"I know what you're thinking. No jinx comes without an antidote. But you won't find out what you need to change back. Because I'm sending you to the Human World."

Feliciano scratched and bit even harder. If she really sent him to the Human World, he would be royally screwed. There weren't any spellbooks or potion ingredients there. How would he manage?

Natalia gave another laugh and pronounced some obscure words.

Next thing Feliciano knew, he was feeling very sleepy.

* * *

Yep, I know what you're thinking: a freaking cat! ? What the heck?

But stay with me! I think this is a nice story! And as you will see, Gilbo will have an important role in it (finally!)

Read and review, guys!

Sara


	2. Chapter I

It was a rainy day in Berlin. Everything was soaked, and people were walking fast. Everyone wanted to get out of the rain and be in their warm, dry homes.

Luise too wanted to come home fast. She was hungry, tired and wet. It had been a long day at work, and she just wanted to go home, eat, have a long shower and sleep.

While she was walking, someone bumped into her, making her purse fall off her shoulder. She cursed under her breath and kneeled on the wet pavement to gather her things.

When she was nearly done, a stray cat came to her and rubbed its head on her hand. It was a beautiful cat, with chestnut fur, brown eyes and a single long curly hair that stuck out from its head. Luise had never seen such colors on a cat. She petted its head and said "What is it, cat? I don't have anything you can eat."

The cat didn't seem to mind. It started licking her hand.

Luise was a bit startled. She had never seen a stray being so affectionate to someone.

"Go away. I can't take you home. My brother hates cats."

The cat looked at her straight in the eyes. She could have sworn it was smiling. It climbed on her legs and curled itself in her lap, purring.

Luise had a big soft spot for animals, and the cat seemed to have noticed it.

She sighed and got up, making the cat jump off her. It looked at her with hurt in its eyes. Luise thought it was all in her head. Cats don't have expressions, right?

She gave it one las pat on the head and was off.

But the cat followed her stubbornly.

"Go away, I told you! I can't keep you!"

The cat simply followed her, rubbing against her legs when she stopped at a zebra crossing.

Luise sighed.

Well, her brother would have to shut his mouth and put up with it.

Feliciano gave a triumphant smile. He had made that girl take him home! That was definetely something. It had been too long since he had spent the night in a house. And being a lover of easy life, he could not take it anymore. He had tried to make people take him home, but it seemed that in the Human World people weren't too keen on bringing a stray cat home. He had tried so many times and never succeeded. But when he saw the blond girl, he decided to give it one last shot. And thank God he did.

He kept on following the girl until they arrived in front of an apartment block, where the girl stopped, picked him up and got in.

She lived in a nice three – bedroom flat. Feliciano immediately spotted the couch and jumped on top of it, purring. Finally! A comfy couch for him to curl on! Oh, life was suddenly ten times better!

"I really don't think so."

He looked up at the girl with a confused look. What did she mean?

"You're not sitting on my couch until I give you a bath. Who knows where you've been."

Feli jumped off the couch. A bath was not a bad idea... he was all wet and cold, so why not?

Luise was completely baffled by the cat. She knew that cats hated water, but this one seemed to love it. It had happily gotten into the tub and let her shampoo it, purring all the while.

Seriously, this cat was something else.

While she was drying him, she asked him "So, what are you? A male or female?" before catching it firmly in her hands and checking under its tail.

The cat squirmed a lot, as if it was embarrassed. Seriously, what was this cat's problem? Enjoying a bath and squirming when she checked its gender?

"Oh. You're a boy. You have all the male bits."

Feli was thoroughly embarrassed. A girl had just grabbed him and checked his privates out. He knew that he shouldn't be embarrassed about it, but he was a man. You don't show the family jewels to someone who's just going to watch, right?

While he was letting the girl dry him, the door opened. A male voice said "I'm home, Luise!"

The girl seemed a little worried.

Oh! maybe this was the cat – hater brother she was talking about?

"I'm in the bathroom, Gilbert. Can you come for a moment?"

The boy laughed and said "Why? You need help bathing?"

The girl gave an annoyed sound and answered "No, you idiot. Come here, I have something to show you."

The boy simply said "Alright, alright. Coming."

The boy showed up. Feli noticed that he looked a lot like Luise (that was her name, right?). The only difference were his hair and eye color. He was probably an albino, because he had nearly white hair, red eyes and very fair skin.

He also carried a bird on his shoulder.

When the boy saw Feliciano, he jumped. "What the hell, Luise! Why did you bring a cat here?"

"It was raining and he was all wet and sad! I couldn't leave him here!"

The boy answered "Get it out of here before it murders Gilbird!"

Ah! Feli understood. The boy was scared that he would eat his bird. Well, no such problem. He didn't really like chicken anyway...

"Aw, come on! He's not going to kill Gilbird. I'll feed him enough, don't worry. And besides, I'm not kicking him out. He's an intelligent one, I can tell."

The boy groaned. "Is it a male?"

Luise nodded.

"Well, then it's not staying! He'll go in heat and dirty the whole house!"

Luise shrugged. "If he does that, we'll have him neutered."

Feliciano felt suddenly faint. That wasn't going to happen in a million years! He better behave...

The boy tried to look for another reason to kick Feliciano out. But he couldn't find any.

"Alright, it can stay! But if something happens to Gilbird, I'll hold you responsible! And make sure it doesn't pee around the house or sleeps on my bed."

Feliciano mewled happily. Luise smiled and answered "Thank you, Gilbert! Don't worry about anything!"

* * *

Oh my God, Feli! You better behave!

Ra and review, you guuuuys!


	3. Chapter II

Feliciano woke up in the middle of the night. He had been sleeping on the couch, but now he was wide awake. Since he would not have to worry about surviving now, he might as well start thinking of a way to go back to his true form (and his world). The only solution in the short term was to prepare a potion that would make spells lift, even if it only lasted a few hours. If he managed that, he would be getting a part of his powers back, enough to summon his spellbook in the Human World and search for the permanent antidote. But how could he prepare the potion in the form of a cat? There was no way...

unless he managed to communicate to Luise and instruct her on how to prepare it... but he couldn't talk nor write if he was a cat.

He really saw no solution to this dilemma.

When Luise woke up, the sun was pretty high in the sky. It was Sunday, so it didn't really matter. She got up and went to the kitchen, where her brother was making breakfast.

She yawned and told him "G'mornin'". Gilbert turned around and replied to her greeting.

"You know, that cat is strange."

Luise nodded absent – mindedly.

"No, really! Like, this morning I found him playing with pen and paper. If I knew it wasn't impossible, I'd swear it was trying to write something!"

Luise looked at him, a condescending look in her eyes.

"Yeah, sure."

Gilbert kept on cooking, but didn't stop talking. "Like, it kinda scared me. When it noticed that I was watching, it stopped immediately. It's creepy. And completely un – awesome, if you will."

Luise ran a hand through her blond hair.

"It's all in your mind, Gilbert."

"Whatever. Breakfast's ready anyway. Dig in."

Feliciano walked in the kitchen. Luise's brother, Gilbert, had seen him while he was trying to write. He had to be more careful around the guy. If he wasn't going to be able to communicate with humans, then it was better that no one imagined that he wasn't a normal cat.

He saw the siblings at the table, having breakfast. He walked to Luise and started rubbing his head on her ankle. She looked down and smiled to him.

"Hey cat. Slept well?"

Her brother shivered. "For the love of Christ, don't treat it like a human. It already tries to write. Next thing you know, he'll try to take over the world."

Luise ignored Gilbert and picked Feli up. "Ignore him, cat. He sees things. Here, eat."

Feli purred in her lap and ate the piece of sausage she handed him. Well, if he was going to be stuck as a cat, might as well have a nice, hot blonde girl as his master, right?

"You know, you'll need a name. I can't keep calling you 'cat', can I?"

Gilbert snorted. "I suggest 'Creeper'. Fits it well."

Luise gave Gilbert a kick under the table.

"Don't worry cat, I'm not calling you that. How about... uhm... Kitty?"

Gilbert shook his head. "Sis, you suck at naming things. I hope that you'll let Francis name your kids."

Luise stuck her tongue out at Gilbert.

"So, anyway. Your name is..."

Gilbert was idly playing with a spoon when he said "Call him Goethe, since he likes to write."

Luise lit up. "Goethe... his name was Johann... yes! Johann! You like it, cat? You're Johann now!"

Feli tried very hard not to look upwards. Whatever this girl wanted to call him, it was fine. He just needed to figure out a way to actually communicate with her.

When Gilbert was done with the washing up, he went out. Every Sunday he would spend the morning jogging in the park. Luise went back to her room. She had arranged to see her boyfriend that afternoon, but since it was not even midday, she might as well get some work done. She turned on her laptop and got started. She was a translator, so she tended to take her work home a lot. Not that it bothered her. She had just finished university, and to be able to work so soon was definitely an advantage.

Feliciano had fallen back asleep after breakfast. He had already gotten used to the fact that cats got sleepy way more often than humans, causing him to extend his siesta time.

When he woke up, Luise was in her room putting her make – up on. Feli couldn't help but appreciate her beauty. Her soft blond hair, her clear blue eyes and her slender figure were really attractive. But she didn't seem to be a fashion savvy girl, and by the looks of it, she wasn't particularly good with make – up either. Feli shook his head. If he ever figured out a way to talk to her, he would teach her a thing or two about matching colors.

When she was finished, she walked by Feli, gave him a quick pat on the head and was off.

Feli yawned. Great. Now he was home all alone. There is really nothing you can do when you're a cat. Unless you like scratching furniture, that is.

He lazily walked in Luise's room, looking around. It was a neat room with a bed, a wardrobe, a pretty big bookshelf and a desk. There were some colorful posters on the wall. One said "BAUHAUS" and carried a strange, angular picture. Another one was what looked like a replica of a canvas, and one had four young men's faces on it and a big, neat inscription that read "THE BEATLES". He kind of wondered what they meant. He went on to look at the books in the bookshelf. He didn't know one single title. Along with the books, there were a number of wide paper cases that had very strange titles, such as "Rubber Soul", "Revolver" and "A Hard Day's Night". He shrugged. Humans really had a strange taste for titles...

Then he looked at the desk. There was a strange object on it. It roughly looked like two boards hinged together, the upper one pitch black and the bottom one...

Feliciano stopped dead in his tracks. The bottom part was a keyboard. He excitedly jumped on it and tried to press a random key. He half expected it to appear on the screen, but it remained blank. Feliciano wanted to groan. If there was a keyboard, then it meant that this tool was for writing. So why the hell wouldn't it write? What did it take to make it work? He wanted to bang his head really hard on a wall.

But he decided to not lose heart. If the tool was in Luise's room, it meant that she used it frequently. And if she used it frequently, then he would simply watch her as she did it and learn. Then he could finally tell her what he needed and be done with this cat's life. Yes, it would work out! He didn't have to lose hope! It was going to be fine. It just took a little more patience. But he would make it.

He jumped off the desk, stretched a bit and went to take another nap, wishing he could have pasta for dinner.

* * *

Yep! The strange object is a laptop! And I made Luise a Beatles fan for a number or reasons... you'll see later on!

And obviously, R&R!


	4. Chapter III

"I have to go now, Francis."

Luise and her boyfriend were in bed. Their clothes were scattered pretty much everywhere. She started roaming the room with her eyes, trying to locate her goddamn panties. Why did Francis throw them so far anyway...

Francis pouted a bit, saying "Aw, come on. It's still early...". He hugged her tight and started kissing her neck.

Luise lost her footing for a bit. "... n-no... come on, Francis... I have to go home..."

Francis didn't seem to understand. His hands gripped her toned buttocks, pushing her closer to his body.

Why was Luise resisting so much, anyway? She couldn't find a decent answer...

Just when she decided to just go with the flow, her cell phone rang.

Francis cursed in French. Luise got back on Earth. She took her phone and answered. It was nothing so vital, but it had killed the mood. So Luise got up, got dressed and kissed her disappointed boyfriend goodbye.

* * *

Feliciano was getting antsy. When would Luise come home and use the keyboard? He desperately needed to know how it worked! What was taking her so long?

While he was pacing around the room, he heard the door open. He ran to the door full of hope, only to see that it was Gilbert. He looked at him, a crestfallen look in his eyes.

Gilbert looked down at Feli and mockingly said "What is it, Creeper? Were you expecting visits?"

Feliciano could tell how Gilbert didn't like him. But honestly, the feeling was not mutual. And since he couldn't talk, he tried to show his non – hostility by rubbing his head on Gilbert's legs.

"Don't even try with that. It's Luise who feeds you. Bug her when she's back."

Feli didn't lose heart. He started purring.

Gilbert was a bit taken – aback. Why would that cat be so affectionate? He wasn't the one who fed it, nor did he treat it particularly well.

He kneeled on the ground and petted Feli's head.

"You really are strange. I bet you're all touchy – feely cause you sense my awesomeness, don't you?"  
Feli simply meowed and leaned in in Gilbert's touch. He really wanted to be friends with this guy. After all, he would be sharing a house with him for some time, so there was no reason to be hostile.

"I bet you're all sad cause Luise is away. Don't worry, she'll be home soon."

Feliciano was happy to hear that. He wanted to ask him if she would use the keyboard when she got home, but he had no way to do it.

Luise opened the door to find Gilbert reading on the couch with Johann curled in his lap.

"Aren't you guys cute like that!"

Gilbert looked up to her and shrugged. "I tried to push it off, but he wouldn't listen."

Luise chuckled and said "Sure."

Feliciano jumped off Gilbert's lap and ran to Luise. She got on her knees and rubbed Feli behind his ears, making him purr. "Hey there, Johann. I'll get you something to eat in a moment."

Gilbert stretched his arms and asked her "How's Francis?"

Luise said "He's okay. He's working a bit too much but he'll survive."

Gilbert got up and went to the kitchen with Luise, chatting with her all the while.

* * *

After dinner, Luise and Gilbert watched some television together. Feliciano was pretty amazed. It looked like a crystal ball that people in his world used to keep in touch with people who were far away. But this one looked different. Neither Luise nor Gilbert were talking to the people in the screen, simply watching them. And the people on the screen themselves didn't look interested in the fact that someone was watching them while they were doing their things. Feliciano shrugged. Humans...

After they were finished spying people in the screen, they bade each other goodnight and went to their rooms. Feliciano promptly followed Luise in her room. She got in her pajamas and sat down at the keyboard.

Feliciano wanted to sing in happiness. Finally! She was going to use that tool and he would see how it worked! Yes!

Luise was mindlessly checking her e – mail. Nothing of particular interest. So she decided to give one last review to the translation she had to hand the following day. While she was typing here and there, Johann jumped on her lap and put his front paws on the keyboard.

Luise was amused. Gilbert was right about Johann liking to write, apparently.

She was less amused when he started hitting keys randomly. She pushed him away from the keyboard and got her attention back on the translation. And just there, between the translated words, she read _hi luise_.

Her mouth flew open. She rubbed her eyes and double checked the screen. Damn, wasn't the cat lucky. Hitting keys at random he had wrote something with actual meaning. And it seemed it still wasn't tired of that game. He got back to the keyboard and kept on playing. She let him finish, curious to see if he would get lucky again. When he was finished, the screen said "_i need your help_"

* * *

Gilbert was already half asleep when he heard Luise scream in fear. He sprang out of bed and ran to her room, worried. Luise was very difficult to scare. If she had screamed like that it meant something was seriously wrong.

When he got in her room, she was sitting on the floor, the computer chair overturned. But what really worried Gilbert was the look of pure terror in her eyes.

"Luise! What's wrong?"

"Gilbert! Holy shit! The cat... he just... I..."

Gilbert went to her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Calm down, sis. Your awesome brother is here. It's okay. Calm down and explain what happened."

Luise took a deep breath.

"Johann! Johann has just written something on my laptop!"

Gilbert's eyes went blank for a moment.

"Come on, sis. It's not even funny."

Luise got up and dragged him to the laptop, where a very nervous Johann was sitting.

"Look! Here, he has written "hi luise i need your help"!"

Gilbert looked stunned. Then said "Come on, sis. It's a little too big for a decent joke."

"But he did it! Johann, please, do it again! Show Gilbert what you did!"

Gilbert shook his head. Probably, Luise had fallen asleep on the computer and dreamed the whole thing.

But the cat nodded and went to the keyboard again.

This time, the screen read "_hi gilbert how are you_"

Gilbert fell back on the floor screaming.

Feli shook his head. They really were brother and sister. They had the same reactions...

Oh, Gilbo! You fell flat on your butt! That ain't awesome, you know!

Thanks for all the reviews!

Stay tuned!


	5. Chapter IV

"Holy shit, holy shit! This can't be happening!"

Gilbert was still looking at the screen where the cat had written a greeting.

Luise shared his views. "Maybe we are actually dreaming..."

Gilbert snorted. "We can't be dreaming the exact same thing at the same time. And besides, my butt still hurts. So no, we're awake."  
Luise looked at a very pleased Johann with wary eyes. "Do you think he wants to take over the world?"

Gilbert honestly hoped not. "I don't know. But if he can write, we can ask him things. Like..."

Luise looked at Feli and asked him "Do you want to take over the world?"

The cat looked upwards and went back to the keyboard and wrote "_no i dont want to i just want your help_"

Gilbert read his message and said "Someone should teach him how to type properly."  
Luise smacked him upside the head. "As if the way he types matters! You idiot!" then she addressed Feli and asked him "What are you? Do you have a name?"

Feli typed "_my name is feliciano but people call me feli i am not a cat but_" then stopped, as if unsure of what to say next. "_you wouldnt believe what i am if i told you_".

Gilbert snorted loudly. "We are in a room with a cat who's typing on our laptop. What could you possibly tell us that we wouldn't believe?"

Feli got his point. So he typed "_youre right i am not from this world a witch has cursed me and i need to prepare a potion to go back to my true form and summon my spellbook and look for the right antidote please help me_"

Luise read it and said "Actually, Gilbert, you're right. We have to teach him how to use commas and full stops at least."

Feliciano wanted to groan. He typed "_sorry for the mistakes but will you please please help me i really need it_"

Gilbert and Luise looked at each other. What could they do?

"Yes, we will help you. What do you need?"

Feli jumped down from the keyboard to rub himself against their legs. Then he went back to the keyboard and typed "_ill need you to put some ingredients in a pot and let it boil from dusk to dawn_"

Gilbert sighed. "So, you need our help cooking?"

Luise groaned. "Of course not, you git. I think it's some kind of potion he has in mind!"

Feli wrote "_yes it is a potion that will make me normal for a few hours i desperately need it_"

Luise sighed. "Alright. Write down what we need and we'll see if can make it."

When Feli was done, a list of very weird ingredients had appeared on the screen. It read

_1.5 liter water with the peel of two lemons in it_

_a strand of my fur that has to be tied with a blue ribbon_

_a small amount of my blood that has to be stored in a transparent glass container_

_something old that belongs to Luise_

_something new that belongs to Gilbert_

_a leaf of laurel that has to sit in a box for two days_

_a thorn from a fresh red rose that has to be kept under a pillow a whole night_

_562 little rocks from a river bank_

_a pinch of salt for the taste_

Gilbert and Luise read it. Then Gilbert said "Ok. If I have to give up my new awesome Xbox for you to be human again, count me out."

Luise turned her eyes to the sky.

Feli typed under the list "_whats an xbox_"

Luise shrugged and said "Never mind. What kind of objects do you need from us?"

Feli typed "_clothes are the best choice gilbert choose something you just bought but didnt wear yet luise something that you have had for the last three years_"

Gilbert still had doubts. "And why on Earth do you need exactly 562 pebbles?"

Feliciano typed "_i need those because rocks are symbols for years in my world and im 562 years old hence the precise number"_

Gilbert let out a low whistle. "562? That's something! And here I thought that I'm getting old!"

Luise's mouth was hanging open. "How can you be so old? Are you immortal?"

Feliciano shook his head and typed "_i cant die of old age but i would die if someone killed me"_

Luise nodded her head in understanding.

Still, 562 years! Damn...

"Ok. Gilbert, you'll prepare the water. I'll get the blood and fur. For the laurel and thorn you'll have to wait until tomorrow, though. Shops are closed now. And tomorrow we'll go to the river and pick up the pebbles."

Feliciano waggled his tail happily and typed "_thank you so very much i love you guys_"

He jumped on Luise's shoulder and started licking her cheek.

Luise blushed very hard. "Uhm, yeah, you're welcome. I like you too."

Gilbert however got Feli and put him on the floor. "Don't you hit on my sister, pussycat!"

* * *

Gilbert was peeling lemons in the kitchen, wondering how such strange shit always happened to him. He had an immortal bird already, did he really need a 562 year old cat to give him orders too?

Apart from that, he was really curios about Feliciano's true form. Did he look human? Was he some kind of elf? He half wished that it wouldn't take them at least two days to find out the answer.

Meanwhile, Luise had cut and tied a strand of Feli's fur. The difficult part was getting his blood. She asked him "How do I take your blood? Can I use a syringe or do I need to cut you?"

Feli jumped to the laptop and wrote "_a syringe will be quite alright please please be gentle i hate it when it hurts_"

Luise nodded her head and rubbed the scared cat's head. Apparently, Feliciano was a chicken more than a cat.

She went to the bathroom and looked for a syringe. She was sure there had to be one... there it was! And it was made of glass and was transparent... maybe it could work as the container too...

she held the needle on the kitchen stove for a couple of minutes and then went back to her room. When Feliciano saw the syringe, he put a paw on top of his eyes. Luise smiled. Such a cutie...

"Relax, it won't hurt too much. Just waggle your tail when I get enough, ok?"

Feli nodded and waited for her to take enough. When she was done, she petted the poor cat. "Come on, it's over now. It wasn't that bad, was it?"

Feliciano's paw was still a little sore, but it would go away soon. He was just so happy that he had managed to communicate with Luise and Gilbert and that they had agreed to help him. The potion wouldn't be very powerful if humans made it, it would last just three or four hours, but it would still work. And he just needed ten minutes to summon his spellbook. So that night, before falling asleep curled up beside Luise, he was finally happy.

* * *

Dude. I like this chapter! I liked writing it a lot =D


	6. Chapter V

Luise's phone rang as she was walking home. She checked the caller ID and noticed that it was Francis. She answered with a "Hey there. What's up?"

"Nothing." he paused for a bit. "We have to talk, Luise."

Luise started to worry. "Why? Did something happen?"

She heard a sigh. "Just meet me at Starbucks in an hour."

* * *

Feliciano was happily licking himself clean when he saw Luise practically breaking through the door crying and running to her room.

Feliciano worried. She didn't look like a girl who cried easily, so something had to be very wrong. He went to her room to see what was up.

She was lying in bed, crying in the pillow and shaking.

Feli felt a pang of acute sadness. He liked Luise better when she was smiling. So he jumped on her back and nuzzled the back of her neck.

Luise turned around. Her face was tear – stained and her eyes were red. It broke Feli's heart to see her so sad. He nestled himself in the crook of her elbow so that his muzzle was close to her face and rubbed his head on her cheek, trying to make her understand that if she wanted to talk he was there to listen.

Maybe she got it or maybe she just needed someone to talk to, because she started talking through her tears.

"My boyfriend has been cheating on me wih someone else! He left me for another guy! A guy, you hear me? He's gay! He's been lying to me all the time! Just because he needed a girl to keep his family from asking questions! How could he do that to me? I loved him!"

Feliciano thought that if a guy dumped Luise, then he was simply a stupid fuck. Moreover, if he had gotten with her just to save face, he was definitely a bastard. How could anyone do that to her?

But now, what could he do? Luise was crying. He simply stayed there with her, licking her cheek, trying to wipe her tears away.

Luise closed her eyes and said in the pillow "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to tell you all that. You probably don't give a damn."

Feliciano shook his head. How could she think he didn't care? She had given him a place to stay, food and she was going to help him out when he was in a tight spot. He did care about her, and most of all, he didn't want her to be sad.

He tried to hug her with his paws. It was kinda difficult seeing that he was a cat, but it worked.

Luise couldn't take it anymore. She hugged Feli back and cried herself dry.

* * *

When Gilbert got home, Luise was sitting at the kitchen table, her laptop in front of her and Feli typing away on it by her side. Her eyes looked red and puffy, but she would occasionally laugh and give the cat a rub behind the ears.

"uhm... you wanna catch me up, Luise?"

The both of them looked at him. Feli gave a smile and waved with his paw, whereas Luise lowered her gaze and mumbled an half hearted "Hi there".

Gilbert noticed that something was just not right. "What is it, Luise? Have you been crying?"

She didn't look up as she answered.

"Francis dumped me."

Gilbert widened his eyes. "What! ?"

Luise's eyes were still on the floor, but she wasn't crying anymore. "That's it. He found himself someone else and moved on."

Gilbert pinched the bridge of his nose. He couldn't honestly say that he didn't see it coming. Francis was a friend of his and a renowned player. But he had sworn that he was serious about dating Luise...

"_..._I'm so sorry, sis..."

Luise simply said "Don't be. It's not your fault."

Gilbert walked over to Luise and hugged her.

Feliciano jumped down from the table and let the siblings be alone for a while.

But he couldn't help but feel that he wanted to be the man who got the privilege of hugging her in that moment.

* * *

What do you want, you guys. Francis is awesome but a total player. He left Luise for Arthur, by the way.


	7. Chapter VI

"There, now you add the blood!"

"No, it has to be the fur first!"

"Yeah, if you want it to explode!"

"I'm awesome, therefore I'm right!"

"Sure, but the blood goes first!"

Feliciano couldn't really see the point in their discussion. It really didn't matter which ingredients got in the pot first, the only thing that was important was that they be in the pot and boil until dawn. He really didn't see why his pet humans had to be so uncannily precise on everything. He had already told them, but they seemed to have their own idea on ingredients order. Go figure.

Feli stared at Luise all the while. The way her long fingers moved, her intelligent blue eyes, her fair skin, her red lips...

Ok. Feliciano gave himself a mental kick. This was really not the moment to get carried away by such thoughts. He had to supervise the potion.

Finally, they settled on a compromise and the pot was finally free to boil. Feliciano waggled his tail happily and typed "_thank you so much, you're saving my life here" _

Luise red the message and stroked Feli's back. "You're getting way better at typing. You nailed punctuation, huh?"

Feli purred and arched his back against Luise's hand to make her know that he appreciated her compliment.

Gilbert stretched his arms. "Well, now we are pretty much free until dawn, right?"

Feli nodded.

"Awesome! Me and Luise are going to sleep. We taught you how to watch the stove, so there! See ya, Feli! And don't scratch the couch!"

Feli purred and stretched, following Luise to her room. It had become a usual routine for him to sleep curled on her pillow, and since Luise didn't seem to mind too much, he did it every night.

But that night he lied awake a long time watching her sleep. Come dawn, he would show himself with his true form to her. The thought made him very anxious and he couldn't really put his finger on why it did.

He just hoped that the potion worked.

* * *

Luise woke up to a loud mewling. She looked at the window to see that it was dawn. Yawning, she got up, stroked Feli's belly and went to call Gilbert. What was going to happen would have been something you don't get to see everyday. Her stray cat would show his true form. And she was really, really curious about it.

"So. I turned off the fire. What do I do now?"

Feli mewled and typed his answer. "_pour some in a clean bowl so i can drink it. Put the rest of it in a glass container so i can use it when the effects of this one wear off_"

Gilbert complied.

Both him and Luise looked closely as Feli lapped up the strange liquid. When he was done, he started shaking violently.

Luise worriedly asked "Hey, are you alright? Did something go wrong?"

Feliciano didn't seem to have heard.

Then he was engulfed in a strange blue light that blocked his feline body from the siblings' view.

Gilbert was beyond excited.

"Dude, this is _so _awesome!"

Then suddenly the light around Feli started to stretch, becoming the size of a grown man and taking the shape of a head, arms and legs.

Luise was biting her nails, incredulously watching the scene.

When the light disappeared, a naked boy was lying on the floor, panting.

Luise was very surprised at how the boy looked. She had imagined him to be an old man with a long white beard, like a wizard from fairy tales. He was more than 500 years old, after all. The boy instead looked like he was not older than twenty, with olive complexion, medium height and a lean build. He had brown eyes with vertical pupils and short hair that was the same exact color as the cat's fur (and the same odd curl sticking out). He still had cat ears and a tail, though.

"Woohoo! You made it, Feli! Ain't that just great! But i must say, you look nothing like the way I expected you to!"

Luise nodded at her brother's comment, her eyes so wide that it was a miracle her eyeballs didn't fall from their sockets.

Gilbert carried on. "Like, that's not how your average 500 years old looks! What do you eat to keep in such good shape?"

The boy didn't move, but said a breathless "clothes, please".

Gilbert smacked his forehead and said "Of course! Sorry dude, I'll be back in a sec."

Luise was still staring at him.

Feli didn't get up, but he smiled to her and said "It's great to talk to you without a laptop, Luise!"

Luise flushed deep crimson. She stuttered something that sounded like "indeed". But he couldn't be sure.

Gilbert came back to the kitchen with some of his clothes. Luise left the room while Feli got dressed.

When he was done, he gave them a bright smile and said "Thank you guys so much! You are saving my life here! If there is anything you might need, just tell me! I'll do anything for you!"

Gilbert laughed and said "I'm sure we'll think of something. Now, what do we do?"

Feli smiled and said "I'm going to summon my spellbook! You might want to stand back..."

* * *

Woohoo, Feli with cat ears! Just too cute to bear!


	8. Chapter VII

Luise was stunned. Her ex – cat had just made a huge book appear out of thin air and was feverishly turning the pages, looking for a particular one that he just couldn't find.

Gilbert looked over Feli's shoulder to see what was written in the giant book.

"Hey, the pages are blank! Did something go wrong?"

Luise checked the book out too. Yeah, it was all blank pages alright.

"It's not blank. It's just that humans don't have the ability to read it." he explained.

Gilbert pouted. "This is discrimination, dude. I could sue you for this."

Luise chuckled. "Yeah, I can imagine the scene already. 'Hey agent, my magical cat has summoned a book from his own world and won't let me read it because I'm human!' You should sell tickets."

Gilbert stuck his tongue out at her.

Then Feli jumped up from the chair, an excited look in his eyes. Yes! That was the page! Finally! He read it like his life depended on it.

"_the curse of turning a wizard in an animal is a very powerful one. It changes the outer aspect of the cursed person, leaving his thoughts and feelings the same. Like all other spells, it has an antidote. The studies conducted on the matter show that the incantation can be broken only if the wizard who was cursed has an actual will to do so. Since this hex changes the subject on one of the three main levels people are made of (outer appearance, inner character and soul), the only way to lift it permanently is for the cursed person to engage in a deed that is alien to his or her inner personality, so to make the incantation go full circle and be lifted. Such deeds can be anything. For example, if a very brave person is put under such a spell, he or she will need to do something out of cowardice, a person who is in love will need to forfeit his feelings and so on. But such deeds need to be honest. If the very brave person of the first example runs away from a fight even though his instinct tells him to fight, it will not be effective. If the person in love forfeits his feelings just on a rational level, it will not be enough. This is why this incantation is considered mainly permanent and the reason many wizards find it impossible to change back to their usual state. However, it must be noted that if such a deed is performed, it will be effective under any circumstance, as long as it is heart – felt and honest."_

Luise noticed how Feliciano's enthusiastic expression changed gradually into a desperate frown.

"What is, Feli? Is the antidote not there?"

Feliciano wanted to cry. What could he do now? He was always a coward, that he knew very well. He could not change his nature at will, and even if he did something brave, it would not be sufficient unless his whole personality changed on a very deep level. But that was downright impossible to do. How can you change 562 years of being a chicken?

He hung his head on the book, hiding his face from Gilbert and Luise. He couldn't hold back tears. He was going to be stuck as a cat for the rest of his life. And even if he could turn back from time to time, in that form he didn't have enough power to go back to his world. He would never see the clear violet sky of his world again, nor would he ever see the green sea in front of his house one more time. He would never spend time with his brother again...

Gilbert didn't know what to do. Feli had gone from hero to zero in ten seconds.

"Hey, Feli. What's wrong?"

Feli didn't lift his head from the book. No reason to explain the whole thing to him.

"No antidote." he sobbed.

Luise gasped. "How come? You said that this book has it all! That every curse has a counter – curse! How is this one any different?"

Feli just wanted to jump off a very tall building.

"I was wrong."

Luise stayed silent for a moment, but then gave him a comforting pat on the back. "Come on, Feli, it's not that bad. You can stay with us, we'll take care of you."

Feliciano straightened abruptly. "NOT THAT BAD?"

Luise took her hand away from his back as if she had burned herself.

Feli had a mixture of despair, horror and disappointment in his eyes.

"How is this 'not that bad'? I am going to be a fucking cat forever! I am going to have to eat off the floor for the rest of my life! I'm never going back home! I won't see my family and friends ever again! I'm not going to be able to talk without a fucking laptop! And eventually I'll run out of that pathetic excuse for a potion that makes me look normal! I can't take more than a batch in 30 years, you know that? And that all summed up, it won't keep me normal for more than 48 hours? And you say it's 'not that bad'? ARE YOU LISTENING TO YOURSE..."

he couldn't finish his rant because Luise ran to her room.

While Feliciano was still breathing heavily with anger, Gilbert walked up to him and slapped him so hard his neck clicked.

Feli stayed there, dumbfounded, holding his reddening cheek with a hand.

"Look dude, I'm sorry for your loss, but taking it out on Luise is not awesome at all."

Feliciano's eyes got a less spirited look. He was still crying, though.

Gilbert gave him a stern look. "After all Luise has done for you, how dare you talk to her like that? It's not our fault if that blank book of yours is not helping. I suggest you go and apologize to her before I kick your ass. Hard."

Feli nodded and went to Luise's room.

Gilbert could only see his back. And that was the saddest back he had ever seen.

* * *

Feli! Get your ass in Luise's room and apologize already!


	9. Chapter VIII

Feli knocked at Luise's door.

"Luise, it's me. Can I come in?"

He got no answer, but he decided to get in anyway.

Luise was sitting on her bed, hugging the pillow. She had a strained look on her face, as if trying to hold back tears.

He sighed and sat beside her. She didn't move away, which made Feli feel better.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to snap at you. You have helped me so much, you really didn't deserve that."

He turned towards her and asked "Please forgive me?"

Luise hugged the pillow tighter, but her expression eased a bit.

"It's okay. I know you are in a very bad position in this moment."

Feliciano gave a sad smile and got a bit closer to her.

"Yeah, indeed. But you know, it could be worse."

Luise snorted. "How could that be any worse than it is already?"

Feliciano didn't lose heart. "Well, if you didn't save me from the streets I might have starved to death already. And besides, I have a batch of potion that will make me look nearly normal for some time. And I managed to get my spellbook back. And I'm going to be able to live with a girl I like very much!"

Luise looked at him dumbfounded. Then she looked back at her pillow, a lovely blush on her cheeks.

Feliciano started thinking about something he might do to brighten her mood.

Hey! He was a magician, right? Maybe what he was going to do wouldn't change anyone's life, but if it could make Luise smile...

He pronounced some words in a language that Luise didn't recognize.

There was a puff and a bunch of light blue flowers appeared in Feli's hands. He smiled and offered them to Luise.

Her face went so red that it looked like a ripe tomato. Those flowers were strange, anyway. They didn't look like they grew in Germany...

She accepted them and smiled. "Uhm... thank you... they're beautiful..."

Feliciano kept the his own smile in place "They're flowers from my world! We call them Madonna's Eyes, and since I don't know what your favourite flowers are, I chose this ones, cause they are the same color of your eyes!"

Luise was still as red as could be. Feliciano was still talking by her side. "And you see, things that come from my world can't spoil in the Human Realm, so they will last forever! I don't know if they retain their power though... you see, if you put them in a red vase they're going to protect the owner from accidents that involve water and fire, but I really have no idea if they work here..."

He abruptly stopped.

"Sorry, maybe I'm talking too much..."

Luise shook her head. "So, a red vase? I should buy one..."

Feliciano looked at her. She had such a tender expression as she was looking at the flowers... and he was so close to her... her lips looked so attractive right now... if he leaned in just a bit...

Luise suddenly raised her hand and touched Feli's ears.

"They're strange to see on a man's head, you know?"

It was Feli's turn to blush now. "...well, the potion I drank was done by humans, so it's not really powerful..."

Luise's eyes zeroed on the strange curl that stuck out from his head. He had it when he was a cat, too...

She gripped it and tugged lightly. "Just what is this hair, anyway?"

Feli's breath caught in his throat. Luise was stroking _that _curl...

Her face was just too close for him to resist...

When he decided to screw it and go with his feelings, his body was wrapped in a glowing red light.

Luise gasped, but realized what was happening. Apparently, the potion was wearing off.

And right there, where Feliciano was sitting, the chestnut cat had reappeared.

Feliciano wanted to groan. Couldn't the potion fucking work for ten seconds more? Goddammit! He was so close to kissing her... so damn close...

Luise stroked his head and said "Sorry it wore off already."

Feliciano nodded sadly and got out of the room. There had to be another way... maybe he had to interpret the book a bit...

* * *

Gilbert saw a very crestfallen Feli get back in the kitchen.

"Oh. It wore off already?"

Feliciano nodded and jumped to the keyboard.

"So. Did you apologize to Luise?"

He typed "_yes, i did. Do you have a red vase?"_

Gilbert said mockingly "I really don't think this is a good time to discuss the house decor."

Feliciano typed "_i'm sorry that i snapped at luise, but i've apologized. She forgave me. I gave her some flowers and she needs a red vase for them. So, do you have any?"_

Gilbert sighed. "No, I don't. Well, sorry for slapping you anyway."

Feli shook his head and wrote "_you were right. I deserved it"_

Gilbert rubbed Feli's ears. "Ok, cool then. Sorry you're going to be stuck with us until ...uhm... the end of time... ?"

Feli typed "_thank you for keeping me. Next time i turn human, have some requests ready. Ill do my best to carry them out"_

Gilbert shrugged. "Whatever, dude. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a girl whose vital regions I'm going to seize. See ya."

he was halfway out the front door when his head reappeared.

"And don't scratch the couch."

* * *

Damn fanfic authours. They always take the fun out of everything!


	10. Chapter IX

It had been a strange two months for Feli. No matter how many times he re – read the antidote, there were no other possible interpretations to it. But what was really bugging him was the growing attraction he was feeling for Luise. He liked her so very much, he would always ask her how her day had been and tell her lots of stories from when he was still a human. He would give her advice on any kind of topic she talked about, and he was finding out so much about her, what she liked, what she did for a living and so on. And he was more and more captivated by her.

But he was a cat. And Luise didn't need the affections of a pet in her life. Sooner or later, she would get over that pathetic fuck of a boyfriend she used to have and look for a new one. And Feli was getting more and more frustrated about the fact that it wasn't going to be him. Besides, he had not used the potion ever since the day he had tried it for the first time. It was toxic if taken frequently, and he was not willing to use it too much since it had to last for the next thirty years.

Or so were his thoughts until today, while speaking (or more precisely, chatting) to Gilbert he had found out that her birthday was coming in a week.

Oh, how Feli longed to be at her birthday! He wanted to give her the best gift he could get his hands on or summon and give it to her in his human form. So he typed "_when is her birthday gonna be? Where will it be?"_

Gilbert answered "It's gonna be Saturday night. We're going out with some friends for a beer at the Axis, Luise's favorite bar. It's gonna be awesome!"

Feli was beyond excited. But he decided not to tell Gilbert that he was going. He wanted it to be a surprise for the both of them.

Gilbert continued "Why? You feel like coming?"

Feliciano typed "_i'd like to, but i can't. You can't go in a bar with a cat and i can't use too much potion or it'll kill me. And it has to last for another thirty years, anyway._"

Gilbert pouted. "Bummer, dude. You'd be a big hit at the party, I'm sure of that!"

Feli wrote "_i know, i'm just so fun to be around, right? 8D"_

Gilbert laughed "You mastered emoticons, dude! That's so awesome!"

Feli gave what looked like a bow.

Gilbert patted his head and said "I'm going out now. See you later. And..."

Feli typed very quickly "_don't scratch the couch, i know."_

Gilbert gave one last laugh. "Exactly, Feli. See you!"

Feli typed "_see you, gilbo!"_

As soon as he was alone, he looked the bar up on the Internet. Yes, Luise had taught him about Internet too.

Good, the bar wasn't far away. Easily reachable with a bus. The difficult thing would be concealing his ears and tail, but he already had half a mind on how. And he'd have to think of a beautiful present. Something that only him could give her. And flowers were not an option, since he had already played that card.

* * *

"Luise, are you ready? We'll be late!"

Luise called from her room "Coming, coming!"

Gilbert checked his watch nervously. Being late was never awesome. And Luise never took too much time with getting ready...

He heard the door open and said "Abou ti..!"

but he stopped dead in his tracks. Luise looked downright stunning. She was wearing a knee – length, strapless red dress and high – heeled black shoes. And her make – up looked simply perfect.

"Luise! You're awesome!"

Luise blushed and mumbled a "thank you".

"You never get so dolled – up! Hell, I didn't even know you had such a dress!"

She said "It's Feli. He gave me a lot of advice on what I should wear tonight. I'm glad I don't look ridiculous."

"Sis, "ridiculous" is the last word I would use to describe you tonight!"

She blushed even harder.

Gilbert laughed and got his car keys.

* * *

Luise all dolled up! Ssssexy.


	11. Chapter X

Feli sighed. It had been pretty difficult to instruct Luise through a laptop, but he had to say, he had done one hell of a job. Luise looked so good he could eat her up.

But since he had no time for cold showers at the moment, he decided to get his evil – genius plan started. He went to the kitchen and drank enough potion to keep him human for the whole night.

When the whole blue – light thing finished, he summoned some clothes from his own world. A white shirt, a black and white scarf, a pair of dark, not too baggy blue jeans (to hide the tail), Gilbert's black skater shoes, a black bandana with thin white patterns and a dragon – leather jacket.

He looked at himself in the mirror. My, my, wasn't he ready for a night out now!

He quickly summoned the present he wanted to give Luise and wrapped it in a blue, shiny wrapping paper with a darker blue ribbon.

Before going out, he gave one last look at the mirror, sighed deeply and told himself "Let's dance, Feli."

* * *

Luise was having a lot of fun. She had already unwrapped her presents, and now she was sitting at a table in her favorite bar with her best friends. She was very happy that all of them could show up. She was chatting with Roderich, a musician friend of hers, when someone got to table and happily announced "Happy birthday, Luise! I'm so glad to see you are having fun!"

Both Gilbert and Luise choked on their beer.

The guys at the table were more surprised by their reaction rather than the guy. He looked like a nice, good – looking fellow. Why were they so surprised?

Gilbert recovered faster than Luise. "What – how – what are you doing here?"

Feliciano's happy smile didn't falter. "I figured I could come after all. I couldn't possibly miss Luise's birthday, now could I? Unless I'm bothering you...?"

Luise, who had stopped coughing, hastily answered "No, of course not! It's just... you told us that... uhm... never mind! Have a seat!"

"Thank you very much!" then he turned to the rest of the table and said "Hello you guys! I'm Feliciano, a new friend of Luise! And you are...?"

The guys thought he was a decent enough fellow. They started introducing each other in turn.

"Hi, I'm Roderich. Me, Luise and Gilbert met in high school."

"Hey there, I'm Elizaveta, Luise's best friend!"

"My name is Kiku, I met Luise when we were in university."

"I'm Vash, these guys' cousin. And this is my little sister, Liech."

"I'm Sadik, I work with Luise."

Feliciano smiled to each and every one of them and started chatting. Luise and Gilbert shared a confused look, but then got back in the saddle. Having Feliciano there was a pleasure for both of them.

And definetely more for Luise.

Soon, Feliciano became the life of the party. He was full of funny stories and never got tired of laughing, talking and drinking. He had conquered everyone's hearts and minds.

Halfway through the night, all the people at the table were really close to rolling on the floor laughing about a story Feli was telling them.

"... and in the end I realized that he had not been talking about his girlfriend, but his new bike!"

The whole table either erupted in cheers or whistles.

Elizaveta motioned for Luise to get closer and whispered in her ear "Luise, your new boyfriend is just amazing!"

Luise blushed ten different shades of red. "He's not... I really... he's just... we're just friends!"

Elizaveta gave a satisfied smile. "Sure thing, Luise..."

She blushed even harder. "Really! He's not my boyfriend! He's more like... uhm..."

Elizaveta rested her case. Probably they had just started dating. She knew how shy Luise could be.

But Elizaveta was not stupid. She had seen the look in her eyes when she talked to Feliciano. In her mind, the two were perfect for each other. They were polar opposites, and you know how the saying goes, right?

* * *

When it was about three o'clock in the night, a very pissed off waitress came to the table and basically kicked them out. Seeing that it was pretty late anyway, the guys bade each other good night and went on their own separate ways.

When they were a block away from their house, Gilbert cursed and smacked his forehead.

"Oh shit! I gave Kiku my wallet and didn't take it back!"

Luise shook her head. "He'll be home by now. You should leave us at home and go get it before he goes to sleep."

Gilbert gave another whispered curse and said "Right. Get off here. I'll be back in a while."

Luise sighed. Her brother could be so scatter – brained at times...

Feliciano took a deep breath. Then said "I haven't given you the gift yet, you know..."

Luise turned to look at him in the face. "You don't need to, really. You already forfeited a lot of your potion just to be here tonight. It's more than enough, really..."

Feliciano smiled and shook a finger in front of his face. "No, no, that's not what I had in mind."

He produced a fairly big box wrapped in light blue paper. He grinned and said "Happy birthday, Luise!"

Luise blushed. "Thank you, but really... you shouldn't have..."

Feliciano was getting a bit excited. "Come on, open it, open it! Tell me if you like it!"

She shook her head. Feli could be impatient at times...

She unwrapped it and looked in the box.

Her eyes widened.

"Oh my God. Tell me this actually is what I think it is."

Feli smiled from one ear to the other. "Yes, it is! Do you like it?"

Luise was speechless. Right there in front of her eyes stood a vinyl of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". Dated June 1967 and carrying four autographs.

"I... you... where did you...?"

Feliciano kept on smiling. His long Internet research on this beetle guys was apparently successful. He had noticed that Luise's room was full of their music, but that she didn't have the Sergeant one. So he had looked all over the Internet to find the place where they sold an authentic copy. And he had managed. He was really surprised at how much the thing was worth, but he simply made the money come out of thin air and shipped it at the address he was provided with, summoning the album in Luise's kitchen. What had surprised him the most was that it had taken more or less a week to find the record, but just ten seconds to actually put his hands on it.

Luise was still struggling to find the right words to express her feelings. Since there were no words big enough to explain what she thought, she hugged Feli tight.

"Thank you so much! How did you know I am a huge fan of the Beatles? Where did you find it? Oh my God, it must have costed you a fortune! This is the best present you could get me!"

Feli happily returned her hug. "I'm sorry, but that's classified information." he said in mock seriousness. "I'm really glad you like it! It was so difficult to find! You have no idea..."

Luise hugged him tighter. "Believe me, I know how hard to come by this records are... you really are a magician..."

He said "Why, thank you. I am one indeed!"

Suddenly, Luise realized in what position they were. She blushed, but did not let go.

Feliciano awarded himself a triumphant smile.

"I like you so much, Luise..."

Luise blushed very hard.

He broke their hug so that he could face her. He got her hands in his and looked at her straight in the eyes.

"Do you like me, Luise?"

She was so red that she was radiating heat. She swallowed and tried to speak.

"...yes..."

Feli smiled tenderly at her.

"Then would you mind if I kissed you?"

Luise thought that she was going to faint. And since she was too embarrassed to speak, she simply closed her eyes to make Feli know that actually no, she wouldn't mind.

Feli smiled and kissed her gently. As soon as his lips touched hers, he felt his heart pound in his chest like a drum.

* * *

Gilbert got out from the car to see Luise kneeling on the floor, holding Feli – who was back to his cat form – in her arms, stroking his soft fur.

"Hey sis, what are you doing still out? You guys should be in bed by now."

Luise jumped. When she turned around, Gilbert saw how red in the face she was.

"Uhm.. yes, we're going right now!"

Gilbert decided that for his mental stability he would not enquire on the scene before his eyes.

Luise was still flustered. She had gotten the best present of her life. And she wasn't thinking of the Beatles album she was so happy about.

* * *

Woohoo, Feli! You got her, you dawg!


	12. Chapter XI

Feliciano was very happy that he was able to confess his love to Luise, but desperate that it was probably going to be the last kiss they would share. He had used a lot of the potion to stay human from nine to three, and he had left just enough for another twelve human hours tops.

He was not sure that he had done the right thing. Now that he was going to be stuck as a cat, he couldn't be with Luise the way he wanted to. And Luise would eventually get over her feelings if she couldn't talk to him without a laptop, hug him, kiss him and... you know... that.

Feliciano decided that for that night it was better to sleep on the couch.

* * *

Luise tossed and turned in bed. She had to sleep, but she just couldn't. Feliciano had just confessed his love to her and kissed her. She could not deny that she liked him very much, but their love had no future. She really could not have a relationship with a cat. She could take care of him and dote on him, but they would never be able to go on dates, hold hands and chat together.

Before falling asleep, she noticed that Feli was not sleeping on her pillow that night.

* * *

The next morning, Feli accurately avoided Luise's room. And Luise didn't come out very soon.

So he ended up typing with Gilbert during the morning.

"... and so she told me that she already liked someone else! Can you believe that? What does that guy have that I don't?"

Feliciano typed "_maybe you're just too awesome for her and she was kind of scared of it?"_

Gilbert smacked his forehead. "Of course! I understand now! Thanks Feli!"

Luise got in the kitchen yawning. "Mornin'".

Gilbert greeted her, but Feli gave a simple nod and looked away.

Gilbert looked at the both of them. "Ok, I won't say that this looks awkward. I'll just think it."

Luise sat down and said "Your thoughts have a strange way of making their way to your mouth."

Gilbert shrugged. He got up and said "Whatever. I have to go now. Money doesn't earn itself, you know."

* * *

Ok.

It was awkward.

But Feli was not one to endure awkward silence. So he typed "_you don't have to be embarrassed, i still like you!"_

Luise relaxed a bit. "It's just... if you were human..."

Feli typed "_you don't have to justify yourself. I understand, and I think you're right. Just think of me as a friend."_

but he didn't write how bad it made him feel. Thank God that when he was a cat his expression were unreadable. And he couldn't cry.

Luise rubbed his back, a sad smile on her face. "Ok then. And thank you again for the present. I really love it."

Feliciano purred and typed "_you're very welcome! Can you play it? I have no idea what the songs sound like."_

Luise smiled a bit. "Yeah, sure. Come to my room. You'll love it, trust me! The Beatles are the best!"

Feliciano mewled and jumped down from the table, following her to her room.

* * *

When Gilbert came home, the whole apartment sounded like the Fab Four were having a concert in Luise's room. He went there to check what was going on and he saw Luise chatting away about every little piece of trivia about her favorite band, a very interested Feliciano typing questions by her side.

"Uhm... you wanna catch me up again?"

Luise looked up and said "Hey Gilbert. I'm just teaching Feli a few things about music in the Human World."

Gilbert said "Really. But sis, it's your turn to cook dinner tonight. And I'm hungry."

Luise sighed and got up, heading to the kitchen, leaving Gilbert and Feli on their own.

Gilbert rubbed his eyes. "Dude, I don't want to sound over-protective and shit, but you really should not hit on Luise like that. It can't be good."

Feli typed "_I don't hit on her. I just want to get to know you better since I will be spending a long time with you guys."_

Gilbert sighed. He had noticed how Luise looked at Feli during the birthday party. And it couldn't be good.

"Look, I know that you are a man. But if you really feel something for Luise, it's better for the both of you to just forget it."

Then he added on a lighter note "You should look for a nice she-cat! You could have lots of really cute kittens, you know!"

Feli shivered and wrote "_No way! I'm not into bestiality :O"_

Gilbert laughed and ruffled his fur. "You're right, dude. Come on now, it's dinnertime."

Feli happily jumped off the desk to follow Gilbert in the kitchen, where Luise was preparing dinner.

He felt a pang of acute sadness at the thought that she would never be his.


	13. Chapter XII

Luise was going out to do some grocery shopping. She was half way out the door when Feli came running and started rubbing against her legs.

"What is it, Feli? You wanna come with me?"

Feli nodded. He really wanted to see what Berlin was like. After his night out for Luise's birthday, he hadn't gone out even once.

Luise sighed. "Alright, I guess it can't hurt. I'm just going to the supermarket, but you could use some fresh air, right?"

Feli looked up and nodded again.

Luise picked him up and called "Bye Gilbert, I'm going out."

He answered from the living room "Alright, see ya later."

Before closing the door, Luise told him "Don't scratch the couch, will you?"

Gilbert had no time to protest. The door was already closed.

* * *

Luise stopped in a café before going home. She had intended to just get some groceries, but she ended up buying clothes and shoes too. So, after a whole afternoon out, she decided to just sit down and drink a coffee before heading home.

Feliciano was curled in her lap, waiting for her to be done with the coffee. It was a shame that he couldn't communicate with her in a public place. And not just because there were no keyboards in sight.

Luise was getting strange looks from the other customers. Apparently, sitting in a café with a cat was not very common in Berlin. Go figure.

"Hey Feli, you want something to eat? I guess I can ask the waiter for some milk..."

Feli shook his head. He wasn't really hungry anyway.

Then Luise realized that she had talked out loud.

The looks from the other customers were now a mixture of "She's really weird" and "She's batshit insane".

Luise blushed and picked Feli up, quickly leaving the café.

* * *

Feliciano didn't understand why Luise had picked him up and got out of the shop blushing. He wanted to ask her, but he couldn't. Oh! Maybe it had to do with the fact that she had talked to him in public? In his world it was perfectly normal to talk to animals in public. They even answered. But human-world animals didn't have that capability, so maybe she felt embarrassed because the other customers probably thought she was talking to herself? He'd have to ask later.

Meanwhile, Luise had put him down. She had to remember that café's name next time.

So she could avoid it.

She started walking to her car. The sun had already set and it was getting a bit cold. Why had she parked so far away from the café anyway... what a drag...

"Hey miss. Do you have a spare minute?"

Luise turned around. A tall man with was smiling pleasantly at her.

Her sixth sense was tingling. Even if the man was smiling, his gaze was icy.

She gave him a very stern look and said "Actually, no. I'm in a hurry right now."

The man's pleasant smile didn't falter. "Well, that's unfortunate. But I have a lot of time right now..."

Feliciano hissed at him.

The man ignored him.

Luise didn't like where this was going. The street she was in right now was pretty dark and no one was around.

But Luise wasn't easily scared. She held the man's gaze and said "You should leave me alone, sir. I have no time to waste."

The man got nearer to her, but Luise didn't back away.

Feliciano was still hissing. Why didn't Luise see she was in danger? Why didn't she just run away? The man probably just wanted money, so why not throwing her purse at him and run away?

The man said with a lewd voice "You look really nice, miss..."

Feliciano felt himself go pale.

Ok, this man wasn't after money.

Luise was not scared. "Just go away and I won't call the cops on you."

Then the man moved so fast neither Luise nor Feli could do anything. He quickly pinned Luise against the wall, holding her wrists over her head one – handed, the other hand on her mouth and a leg between hers to avoid getting kicked.

Luise was really scared now. Just how strong was this guy! She couldn't even move, and he was holding her one – handed! Goddammit... she had to think fast...

"Come on, don't be scared... it won't hurt... a lot, at least..."

Luise tried to squirm under his grip, but he pressed her body against her so hard it was difficult for her to breath. And the hand on her mouth was covering her nostrils too...damn... her lungs were screaming for air. She was seeing black spots form before her eyes.

She felt like throwing up. Never, ever in her life she would have thought that such a thing could happen to her of all people... shit...

* * *

Feli saw red. How dare that fucker do that to his Luise?

His body moved on its own accord. He hissed loudly and jumped on the man's back, stabbing him with his claws, trying to make as much damage as possible.

The man bellowed in pain and tried to get him off his back. Feli clawed his way up to the man's neck, scratching and biting as hard as he could.

The guy had to release Luise to manage to get him by the tail and wrench him off of him.

Luise slid to the ground trying to catch her breath, feeling very faint.

Feli wasn't scared at all. He kept on hissing and trying to land scratches on the man's eyes.

The man didn't like it at all. With all this racket, someone was bound to get curious and go check on what was happening...

He cursed loudly, a crazy look in his eyes. He would be caught red – handed unless he took his leave very quickly. He clenched Feli's tail harder and yelled in anger.

"YOU FUCKING PUSS!"

Feliciano didn't falter. He kept on hissing and meowing loudly to catch people's attention.

The man was beyond himself.

He got Feli by the belly and threw him hard against the sidewalk with all his strength before hastily leaving the scene.

Feli heard a scream before he felt his spine break against the ground.

* * *

no comment.


	14. Chapter XIII

Luise gathered all her remaining strength and walked unsteadily towards Feli. She had heard a cracking sound when the man had thrown him. She was mad with fear. What if Feli was... no, it couldn't be! He was immortal!

She reached him and kneeled by him on the ground. She picked him up, and was horror – striken when she felt how limp he was and how much blood he was losing.

"Come on Feli, resist! It's okay! He went away, it's gonna be alright! Feli!"

Feli felt his energy leave him.

How ironic. He had just thrown 562 years of coward life down the drain because of one simple, reckless act of courage.

But what surprised him was that there was no regret mixed in with his pain and fear now... and was that relief he was feeling...?

He wanted to tell her something. But he was getting so sleepy...

"Feli! Stay with me! Don't close your eyes! Feli!"

He could hear Luise's frantic voice in the distance. Honestly, it was keeping him awake. His pain and fear were slowly abandoning him. Good, he was just going to stop hurting... he hated it when it hurt... and he felt like sleeping so badly right now...

Luise watched in horror as Feli slowly closed his eyes.

"NO! FELI, WAKE UP! HEY!"

She tried to calm herself. She had to check for the heartbeat, fast! She put a finger on Feli's neck, but she couldn't feel anything...

"No, no, no! This can't be! Feli!"

She put her hand close to Feli's muzzle, hoping to feel his breath.

But she was let down once again.

* * *

Gilbert was very worried. Luise had just gone grocery shopping, so what was taking her so long? Something just wasn't right... Luise would always call him if she was running late...

While he took out his own phone to call her, he heard the door open.

Gilbert sighed in relief. About time!

He went to the door, ready to chew her out.

But what he saw made his mouth go dry.

Luise was sobbing very hard and she had blood stains all over her clothes. And she was holding a sleeping, bloody Feliciano in her arms.

Gilbert's eyes widened as he ran to her.

"Luise! What the hell! What happened!"

Luise was sobbing too hard to speak. So he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and led her to couch. He made her sit down and tried to take Feli out of her arms.

But she wouldn't let him.

"Luise, don't be stupid! I have to see what's wrong! We have to call a vet!"

Luise didn't say anything. She just kept on weeping.

Gilbert gave an exasperated sound.

"Fine, be like that! I'll check him anyway!"

He put his fingers to Feli's throat to see if the heartbeat was strong.

But he couldn't feel anything.

Realization dawned on him.

"Luise... this... how...?"

Luise told him what happened between sobs.

Gilbert listened, a horrified look forming in his eyes.

"... oh God. I... oh my _God_..."

Gilbert's hand flew to his mouth. He didn't even try to hold back tears.

* * *

After some time, Gilbert told Luise "You should go to sleep."

Luise shook her head.

Gilbert ran a hand through his hair. "Fine, but at least change your clothes."

Luise suddenly got up. "I'm going to give Feli a bath."  
Gilbert looked at her in confusion. "... a bath...?"

Luise was still cradling Feli as if it were a baby. "Yes. He hates blood."

Gilbert sighed. "Ok. But after that, you have to go sleep."

Luise nodded. It didn't really matter if she went to sleep anyway...

Gilbert remained with her until she was done giving Feli a bath. He looked much better now. After that, he had made her get a shower herself and sent her to sleep. He tiredly placed Feli's corpse on his favourite spot on the couch, gave it one last rub behind the ears and went to check if Luise was sleeping.

Of course she wasn't, but at least she was in bed.

He whispered an half – hearted "good night" and went back to the living room.

He stood in front of Feli's remains for a while before telling him "Don't scratch the couch." and going to sleep.


	15. Chapter XIV

Luise had not been able to sleep all night. She just stared at the spot where Feli would always curl to sleep on her pillow. Her mind felt as if someone had scrubbed it with bleach. Completely blank.

She had to see him... even if he would not type an answer, or give her a nod... just a few seconds...

She silently got out of bed. She had kind of a feeling that if Gilbert saw her, he would not be pleased.

She went to the living room. But something was off...

she turned on the light so she could see better.

Her breath caught in her throat at what was on the couch.

A chestnut – haired boy was sleeping on the couch. His head was resting on top of his crossed arms, his torso curved and his legs bent on the floor. His face was so peaceful...

Luise swallowed. She must be dreaming.

She walked to the sleeping boy and hesitantly shook him.

The boy groaned in his sleep, mumbling something that sounded like "just five more minutes..."

Luise brought her hands to her mouth. Could this possibly mean...?

She shook him again, but with a lot more strength. "Hey, wake up!"

the boy gasped and straightened instantly. He looked around, apparently not recognizing his surroundings. He turned towards Luise with a look of utter confusion.

"Luise...? what...?"

Luise hugged him as tight as she could. She felt that no words, other than sobs, were needed.

* * *

Feli's mind was racing. He was human again? How come? He thought he had died...

Luise was hugging him so tight he felt his ribs crack. But he didn't complain. He hugged her back as strongly as she was.

"How... how come... you were dead..."

"I know... it's just... I don't even know..."

Luise wiped her tears without letting Feli go. "Your cat – ears are gone... and your tail too..."

Feli's hand ran to his head. Holy mother of God, it was true! That could mean only one thing...

"I'm back! I'm myself again! Forever! Oh God! This is wonderful! Oh Luise! It's all thanks to you! I love you!"

Luise unravelled herself from the hug.

Her smile was so beautiful...

"Thanks to me? What did I do?"

Feliciano was very excited as he spoke "The antidote was to do something that is against everything that I was! I have always been a coward, so saving you from that bastard changed me back! I didn't know it could work even after death! Oh God!"

Luise was a bit puzzled. "You told me there was no antidote..."

Feli shook his head. "I meant that it would be close to impossible for me to be able to change back! But I did! If I never knew you, I would never have put someone else's life above my own! That's why I am back to normal now!"

Then Feli stopped as if someone had unplugged him. He got a serious expression and said "by the way, Luise. I love you. Be my girlfriend? I'll protect you with my life."

Luise smiled and wiped the last of her tears. As she got closer to his lips, she whispered "You have already done it..."

Gilbert dried a tear that escaped his eye from behind the doorframe. All that commotion had made him get out of bed, but he figured that he could chew the both of them out in the morning. Now, he thought smiling, it was really time for a tactical retreat.

* * *

Sorry for the lateness guys, i had things to sort out!

Buuut, it ain't over yet! Stay tuned


	16. Chapter XV

Feli was so happy that the first thing he saw in the morning was Luise's sleeping face so close to his. He gave a beaming smile and hugged her closer before going to say hello to Gilbert. He got out of bed and summoned his clothes from his house in the Other World, then headed to the kitchen, where he saw a very happy Gilbert make breakfast.

"Hey, pussycat! Nice to see you're back in the saddle! Congratulations!"

Feli squealed and ran to Gilbert, hugging him very tight. "Thank you, Gilbert! It's great to be alive again! But you don't look very surprised... is coming back to life common in the Human World?"

Gilbert laughed, returned the hug and said with a cheeky grin "No, it isn't. What do you want. I'm so awesome that even a zombie like you can't surprise me!"

Feli remembered how he had fallen flat on his butt shrieking like a little girl just because he had started typing on a laptop. But decided to let it go.

"... sure. Oh, I have to talk to my brother! I have to tell him I'm alive!"

Gilbert looked at him a bit puzzled. "You're gonna call him? Like, with a phone?"

Feli shook his head. "No, like this. Look." he pronounced some obscure words and snapped both fingers. There was a loud whoosh and a big mirror that looked as if it was made of water appeared in the middle of the kitchen. Gilbert wolf – whistled. "Awesome, dude! You got your powers back alright!"

Feli smiled and playfully bowed at the compliment. Then he faced the mirror and called. "Lovi! Lovi, it's me! Answer the mirror!"

Gilbert was watching, excited to see what would happen. He thought the mirror was just a mirror, because from the other side of it a boy who looked exactly like Feli had shown up. However, when he talked Gilbert was sure it had to be someone else. The boy had in fact started a continuous stream of profanities."You fucking idiot! Where the hell have you been all this time? Here I am, worried sick... now, not that I worry about you, dammit!, but still, you've been away for five whole bloody months without mirroring me! What the hell! You could be dead and I wouldn't even know! If you weren't my brother, I'd call you a son of a bitch!"

Feli was still smiling very wide. "I'm glad to see you didn't change, Lovi! I couldn't mirror you, a lot of things happened, but now I'm cool! I can't be back right now, but wait for me! I'll be home before you know it!"

The boy in the mirror blushed and ruefully said "As if I want you to be back... but if you have to come, why not now, dammit?"

Feli didn't falter. "I have unfinished business to attend to. I'll explain, I promise! See you later, fratello!"

The boy on the other side gave a bashful smile and said "... whatever. See ya, bro."

Feli snapped both fingers again and the mirror vanished without leaving a trace.

Gilbert stayed silent for a moment, then asked excitedly "Hey, what was that? Some kind of video phone? How much do you pay in bills? Can I have one too?"

* * *

Luise woke up and saw that there was no one by her side. She felt a pang of pain in her chest. Had she dreamed it all? Was Feli still lying on the couch, dead?

Then she heard his voice mixed with Gilbert's coming from the kitchen. She smiled happily to herself and hastily got dressed. When she arrived in the kitchen, Gilbert and Feli were sitting together, having breakfast and talking about someone from Feli's world.

She coughed to make her presence known. Feli turned around and went to hug her. "Hey, Luise, good morning! Have you slept well?"

Luise blushed in his hug, but returned it.

Feli let go of her and said "Look, I have to go back to my world for a bit. To see my brother. I'll be back before you know it, ok?"

Luise looked at him. He had just broken the curse and he was going away already? But then, it was obvious the Feli had a life in his World. She nodded her head and said "Just don't get in trouble, ok?"

Feli smiled and kissed her on her hair. "I won't. Later, Luise!"

Then he vanished in a puff of violet smoke. Gilbert sprang out of his seat and shouted "Hey pussycat! Don't go scratching couches!"

* * *

And now... the in-laws! Run for your life!

PS: 100 reviews! I'm so moved I could cry!

T^T - tears of happiness!


	17. Chapter XVI

Lovino was enjoying his alone time when a puff of violet smoke made Feli's presence known. He got to his feet and told him "About fucking time, you pathetic excuse for a brother!"

Feli smiled and went to hug him. Lovino blushed, but shyly returned it. After all, they had not seen each other in months...

When Feli was done with his numerous displays of affection, Lovi smacked him upside the head. "Now, where have you been? What the hell happened to you? Why wouldn't you mirror me?"

Feli smiled and said "I got in a bit of trouble because of Natalia."

Lovi's eyebrows lifted. "Natalia? What the hell? What do you have to do with her?"

Feli shook his head and sighed. "She wanted me to brew a love potion for her brother and I refused."

Lovi snorted. "For once, I have to say you did the right thing. Had something gone wrong, Ivan would have killed you in a very painful way."

Feli sat down on the couch. "That's exactly what I thought. So I refused, but she got all angry and stuff. She turned me into a cat and shipped me to the Human World."

Lovi gasped. "What? And how... why... how did you even break the curse? Isn't it supposed to be... like... permanent?"

Feli scratched the back of his head. "It's not really unbreakable. I just had to do something that was the complete opposite of my personality."

Lovi laughed. "No shit, Feli! What did you do? You went and killed a dragon while you were a cat?"

Feli shivered. "There are no dragons in the human world. I... uhm..." oh boy, this was going to be hard.

Lovi looked at him with suspicion. "Don't "uhm" me. Go on."

Feli started fidgeting. "Well... I kind of... you know... I fell for a human girl and I saved her life."

Lovi's eyes widened. "A human girl? Oh, for the love of Christ..."

Feli scratched the back of his head again. "But you know, i'm serious about her! I love her for real!"

Lovi snorted. "Yeah, sure. If I could have a coin for every girl you "love for real", I'd be a fucking billionaire!"

Feli crossed his arms. "You know, it's true that I've said that a lot. But I never gave my life for a girl."

Lovi's eyes were crossed by a look of stunned disbelief. "... you did what?"

Feli answered "I sacrificed myself to save this girl's life. I died, but since my action was the antidote to the curse, I came back to life."

Lovi was stunned. His jaw was nearly touching the floor. "You've got to be kidding me."

Feli shook his head. "No, I'm for real. I did it. I really love that girl."

Lovi rubbed his eyes tiredly. "There are a couple of things you're not considering."

Feli looked at Lovi, a quizzical look in his eyes. "What am I not considering?"

Lovi sighed. "She's human, so she will want to keep living in her world."

Feli answered "No problem, I can stay with her and go back and forth between worlds."

Lovi plopped down on the couch. "How old is this girl?"

Feli sat down beside his brother. "23. Why?"

Lovi pinched the bridge of his nose. "That means that she'll have another 70 years to live, tops. But you, Feli, have got all eternity. And since you died once, you're completely immortal now. Even if someone kills you, you won't die. Do you realise that?"

Feli was speechless for a moment.

It was true. He had not even spared a thought about the distant future. He was now a fully immortal being, who would not age and die.

But Luise was human. He didn't want her to die before him, nor did he want her to feel bad about the fact that she would eventually get old and he wouldn't. Besides, it was impossible to give immortality to humans. They simply didn't have a body that would allow it.

He bit his lower lip, worried.

Damn. This was something he had not taken into account...

* * *

Yes. Immortality comes at a price.


	18. Chapter XVII

Luise was at work when a paper airplane got in her office through the window. Curios, she took it. The material looked like paper, but it felt more like silk to the touch. She smiled. It probably was a message from Feli. Maybe he had come home already? She unfolded the airplane and, in fact, there was a message written in messy italics.

_I came back. Tell me when you'll be home. You just have to write it on the paper._

Luise smiled. She wrote I_'ll be back in two hours more or less._

She was very surprised when another message formed on the enchanted silky paper. _Alright, I'll wait for you at home. Later XD_

Luise shook her head. She pocketed the sheet of paper/silk and continued to work, a small smile on her lips.

* * *

Feli was waiting for Luise on the stairs. After his conversation with Lovino, he thought that maybe he should not take the liberty to come and go from her house like he did when he was her pet. He was thinking of how to talk about the matter with Luise. Even though the logical side of him was convinced that the only solution was to simply let her go and find a girl in his own world, Feli knew that he wouldn't do it. Besides, he never really liked logic.

But the problem remained. What if they actually managed to be together for many years? That would only mean that he would suffer like a dog when she would eventually die, having grown more in love with her.

But leaving Luise altogether... he had given his own life for her, dammit! Why did he have to be faced with such a choice? Leave her right there and then or stay with her, grow more in love as time went by and then lose her? Was there a way to solve things?

One way existed. He'd have to let go of immortality. But that was a bit scary for someone who had lived so long...

Well, one thing was for sure. He would not decide what was best for the two of them on his own. It was only fair that Luise should get a say in this.

* * *

Gilbert was going home, and he was very surprised to see that Feli was back already. However, what felt strange was that he was waiting on their doorstep.

"What's up, pussycat? Why are you sitting outside?"

Feli looked up. "Hey, Gilbert. I'm waiting for Luise."

Gilbert answered while he fumbled with the keys. "Well, you could have waited inside, you know."

Feli got up and followed him in the house. "Well, I won't be living with you guys anymore, so I don't think that it's cool to just come and go as I please."

Gilbert shrugged. "Whatever, dude. Luise will be here in ten minutes anyway."

* * *

Luise came home when Gilbert and Feli were playing a heated match of Xbox Tekken. And by the way Gilbert was shouting, he was winning. And in fact, there stood a cheering Gilbert and a sulking Feli.

"Hey guys." she said.

Both of them turned to her and greeted. However, Feli's look was a bit... off.

"Hey Luise. Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Gilbert caught the drift. "well, I'd so love to see you two lovebirds have your first quarrel, but my awesome presence is requested elsewhere. So long, fellas. Feli, don't scratch the damn couch."

When Gilbert was out the door, Feli motioned for Luise to sit beside him on the couch.

"There is something we need to work out before we can be together, Luise."

Luise was a bit worried. Her break-up with Francis had started just like that...

"Uhm... ok. What is it?"

Feli sighed. "If a wizard comes back to..."

then he stopped dead.

A thought dashed through his mind. What if he told Luise that he was willing to give away his immortality for her? Wouldn't she feel overwhelmed? And even if she took it well now, if things did not go according to plans later, would she stay with him just because of that? If she were to be unhappy with him but couldn't leave him out of loyalty, he really didn't know what he would do...

Luise looked at him in confusion. "... and?"

Feli swallowed. He could not tell her now... he still had to look for the spell he needed to become mortal. And they had just gotten together. It would be too much to bear for a relationship that had just blossomed...

He resetted his face to a happier look. "Nothing, I was trying to say that my brother would really like to have dinner with you and Gilbert, to get to know you!". As soon as the words left his mouth, he silently prayed that Lovi would not blow his cover. Or kill him.

Luise smiled. "Oh. Sure then, I'd love to meet your brother! What is he like?"

Feli sighed in relief. She had taken the bait. "Well, picture a potty-mouthed me and you have him!"

Luise laughed. "Ok, but that's a little far-fetched..."

Feli hugged her. He hated to lie to her, but for the time being he had no choice.

* * *

Right, fellas. No matter what Twilight tries to teach you, a couple months together are not enough to know if you ended up with the True Love of your Life or just another jerk. So yeah. Just wanted to say that.


	19. Chapter XVIII

Lovino couldn't even start to believe it. Not only had his brother fallen head-over-heels for a human girl, but he had come to him asking if he knew of ways to become mortal. How could that chicken of a brother be willing to give up the gift of perfect immortality for a girl? How could he bear to grow old and die when he had the chance to live forever? Hell, he was already a great wizard, but if he had eternity in front of him, he would eventually become the best! How could he spit on that? Dammit. And what was more, he had invited his new flame for dinner in their house, so that he could "get to know her". Wasn't that just great. _And _it seemed that the girl loved potatoes, so Feli had begged him to cook those along with his beloved tomato-sauce pasta. Great. Not only human, but also a potato bitch. And the fact that the potato bitch's brother and his "friend" Antonio was coming to dinner too did not help. When Feli had announced that he wanted Antonio at the dinner too, Lovi had blushed so many shades of red it was almost unbelievable. And when he asked Feli "why", he had given him a confused look. "So that Luise can get to know my in-laws too, isn't it obvious?"

Aargh. Lovino had headbutted Feli so hard he had practically dug a hole in his chest. But in the end, he decided to give in. If his brother wanted to have a lovey-dovey fucking family dinner, then be it. He'd kill him for that later.

* * *

Luise checked the clock for the upteenth time. They had to be in Feli's world five minutes ago. And since she didn't know how long it took to go there, she was getting a little restless.

"Feli! Come on, we're late!"

Gilbert sighed. Why wouldn't Luise calm down. It was making him nervous. Not that travelling to another dimension scared him, mind you.

Feli got out of the bathroom. "Relax, Luise. My brother said to be there at eight."

Luise let out a groan. "It's ten past eight already! We're late!"

Feli sat down on the couch, stretching a bit. Luise noticed how much he looked like a cat when he did that.

"With my brother, when he says "come at eight" it means "don't show up before eight fifteen.". Didn't I tell you...?"

Luise sighed in exasperation. "Whatever. Can we just go?"

Feli smiled at her. "Don't be so nervous. It's just a dinner with my brother and his sweetheart."

Luise felt like strangling him. "It's serious business to meet your in-laws, Feli."

Feli laughed. "Don't worry. It's just going to be a normal dinner. Plus, i'm sure Lovi will... uhm... not hate you guys."

Gilbert shook his head. "Whatever. Can we go now?"

* * *

"Lovi, _querido_, someone is at the door."

Lovi looked up from the stove to shout for Antonio to get off his ass and get the door himself.

Antonio sighed in resignation. His Lovi was so shy...

He went to the door, very excited about seeing his very cute brother-in-law again. And in fact, as soon as the door opened, Feli threw himself in Antonio's arms.

"Antoniooo! I missed youuuu!"

Antonio laughed and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Feli! You're cute as ever! I missed you too! My, and this should be... if I'm not mistaken... Luise?"

Luise was there, looking at the scene dumbfounded.

But Gilbert seemed to be laughing his head off. However, something clicked in his mind. This wasn't Feli's brother... which meant he had to be...

"_Hola _guys! I'm Antonio, Lovi's boyfriend. And you are...?"

Luise looked at him stunned.

Gilbert noticed it and introduced himself first. "Hey, i'm Gilbert. I'm Luise's brother and Feli's co-owner."

Luise caught herself and shook Antonio's hand. "I'm Luise. Nice to meet you."

Antonio smiled to the both of them and gave them two kisses on the cheek each, leaving Luise very flushed and Gilbert with many new ideas on how to woo girls in mind.

* * *

Lovi brought the meal on the table. The two in-laws were looking in awe at everything that was in his house, from the singing daffodils to the self-browsing books. Just what was up with humans anyway?

Feli was explaining what the various items in the house were, even the most obvious things, like his dream-extracting pliers.

Anyway, it seemed that Antonio was getting along very well with the older potato bastard. And Feli looked so happy and cute next to that girl... Lovi couldn't really get what he saw in her. They looked like a mother hen and a chick. Just, the look in the potato bitch's eyes was not really motherly. More like... Lovi shook his head. He was getting a bit corny.

He sighed. Whatever. If his brother decided that the girl was worth his immortality, there must be a reason... just, Lovi did not want things to be rushed. They had been together for what? A week?

He took another sip of wine. For now, Feli had not done anything crazy. He just hoped that things didn't go too wrong in the future...

* * *

bah. Family dinners. Always there to plague you when you least want them.


	20. Chapter XIX

Feli and Luise were coming back from a date. They had gone to the cinema, and Feli had been surprised to no end at what people had come up with to make up for the lack of magic. Humans were really inventive, he had to give them that.

"Ve, I really liked the cee-nay-mah! It's unbelievable what you guys have come up with! And here I was thinking that it would be an evening of spying people through a screen!"

Luise laughed. "Come on, now. It's nothing exceptional. But if you like it so much, we can go there more."

Feli answered "Not really... I've seen the story once, it's not funny if you keep watching it..."

Luise looked upwards. "They change the movie every week or so, Feli."

Feli's eyes widened. "Really? Like, there is more than one story you can see?"

Luise shook her head. "Of course. There are countless movies in the world, you know..."

Feli looked as if someone had opened his eyes to a new world. "No way! Then can we go next week too? Please please please?"

Luise got her car keys as she said "If you like it so much, it's okay..."

* * *

They were kissing passionately on the couch when something that looked like a mirror made of water came between them. Feli groaned, but Luise looked at it in awe. What was that?

Feli said in irritation "Leave me alone now Lovi. I'll mirror you in the morning."

Lovi's voice came out of the mirror. "Do you think I would have mirrored if I could avoid it? I just wanted to tell you that I found the spell you need."

Feli let go of Luise immediately. "You did? Oh man! Are you at home? Can I come now?"

Lovi's voice answered with a few curse words and a yes before the mirror vanished.

Luise was a bit surprised. "Uhm... Feli? Are you going now?"

Feli got up and re-buttoned his shirt. "Yes, I'm sorry, it's urgent as hell. I have to go. I'll be back tomorrow, I swear!"

Luise could just watch as he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

Lovi handed Feli a page with intricate signs written on it. "That's what you need, Feli. It's all written here."

Feli took the sheet of paper with shaking hands and read it.

"Thanks, Lovi. I appreciate your help."

Lovi looked at his feet. "You're not... using it now, are you?"

Feli shook his head. "No, before I do something like this I need to be sure of Luise's feelings. We're just starting up, so I don't want to put her under such pressure."

Lovi threw himself at Feli and hugged him. "... just be careful about that, dammit!"

Feli smiled and hugged his brother back. "I will. I'll wait at least three years for this. Trust me."

But Lovi did not let go. Feli was his younger twin, after all. knowing that he could be stuck without him in the near future was a bit too much for him to bear. But if that potato bitch made him so happy, then he would not get in their way (though Feli didn't need to know that, right?).

* * *

Very much on the short side. Ain't the best chapter I've ever written, but it works as a connector.

Stay tuned, the next one will be Kool!


	21. Chapter XX

Luise paced up and down the bathroom. She sighed, thinking that those were the longest two minutes of her life. Then the alarm-clock she had set went off. She held her breath and put the stick in front of her.

Positive.

A lot of contrasting emotions shot through her. That pregnancy test was the third she had taken in three days. It could be no coincidence. She was really going to have a kid. She sat on the toilet, trying to sort all her thoughts out. She was going to be a mother before the year was out. But she was not married to Feli yet. Even though they had been together for two years now. Which meant he had to stop hopping through worlds and settle down in one. Which also meant that she had to think seriously about their future.

Suddenly, a new thought hit her. Feli was immortal. That meant that while she would eventually age and die, he wouldn't. That meant that one day, their kid would look older than his or her father. That Feli would outlive both her and the kid, and quite possibly their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

How could she not think about that before!

A rush of anxiety washed over her. Now what? She had to call Feli and talk things over with him. Just, she had no means of contacting him. She couldn't mirror him on her own, and his cell-phone worked only when he was in the human world. Damn. The only thing she could do was for him to show up. And Luise hated waiting for things to come her way.

* * *

Feli was brewing a potion in his messy studio when he checked the clock. Five thirty. Luise should be home now. He happily gave the finishing touches to his potion and summoned the mirror. And there stood Luise on the other side. Just, her eyes looked a bit worried...

"Hey Luise. What's wrong, ve? You look a little worried..."

Luise fidgeted. "I... uhm... we need to talk. Can you come over?"

Feli frowned. He searched through his mind to see if he had done something that upset her in the near past, but couldn't find anything. Unless eating her portion of Roderich's cake counted...

"Yes, sure. I'm coming right now. Wait for me."

Luise jumped when Feli appeared in her room in a cloud of smoke. She was waiting for him, but her mind had strayed a bit and she had been caught completely by surprise.

Feli noticed it and rushed to her, a worried look on his face. "Sorry, sorry! Did I scare you? I'm sorry!"

Luise tried to catch her breath. "N-no, I'm alright. I wasn't paying attention."

Feli smiled and gave her a peck on the lips. "So, you said you had to talk to me. What is it?"

Luise took a deep breath. She didn't want to be too direct with him. She decided to test the waters a bit. "Feli, do you... you know... are you serious about us?"

Feli looked at her as if she had spoken in another language. "Luise? What kind of question is that?"

Luise was not looking at him in the eye. "Just answer, please."

Feli noticed the urgency in her voice. She took her hands in his and sat down with her on the couch.

"Ve, of course I'm serious about us. Why are you asking?"

Luise swallowed. "Have you ever thought about... you know... the future?"

Feli's eyes were crossed by realization. She had started to ask herself if sharing her life with an immortal wizard who lived in another dimension was really what she wanted from her life.

"Does this have to do with me being immortal?"

Luise swallowed again. "... yes."

Feli sighed. "Well, if this helps, I don't really care about it. I love you and I want to be with you forever."

Luise started fidgeting. "But what about in, say, 10 years from now?"

Feli smiled "That's no problem, you know. I can't imagine my future without you, so yeah, ten years or fifty, it doesn't really matter to me."

Luise scratched the back of her head. "But we would look ridiculous. Not in ten years, but when I'll be forty, you'll still look twenty. People will stat mistaking you for my son, or my grandchild..."

Feli reached a hand out to cup her cheek. "If that's what's bothering you, I have worked out a solution a long time ago..."

Luise looked at him wide-eyed. Did that mean that Feli wanted to make her immortal too...? "Look, Feli, I don't want to become immortal. I really don't think I'd like that."

Feli shook his head. "No, no, it's impossible to make humans immortal, their body would not support it. I was thinking more along the lines of myself becoming mortal instead."

Now Luise was very confused. "You'd be willing to give up eternal youth and immortality for me?"

Feli beamed at her. "Yes, I would do it! I don't want to live forever if I'm going to be stuck on my own, you know? I'm the only perfect immortal that I know of, and I really don't want to outlive everyone that I know! Ve, wouldn't it be lonely?"

Luise didn't say anything. Then she hugged him very tight.

Feli stroked her hair. Finally, he had taken that thing off his chest. One year before he planned to, but it was still alright. If Luise had started worrying about the distant future, it meant that she was very serious about their relationship. And that was all he needed to know before using the spell.

* * *

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAW


	22. Chapter XXI

Luise was a bit pissed off with herself. She had called Feli over to tell him that she was pregnant, but she had gotten side-tracked by her own worries about the future. And now, they were liyng in bed together, Feli fast asleep by her side.

Luise sighed as she brushed some stray bangs from his face. Well, she guessed it had to wait until tomorrow...

* * *

When Feli woke up, Luise had left already, leaving a note on her pillow. Feli read it, and was a bit surprised. It said

_I didn't manage to tell you the other thing we needed to talk about. Show up this evening at six ok?_

_Luise_

Feli was a bit curious now. As he got up and dressed to go back to his world, he tried to work out what it could be. Maybe Luise wanted to tell him that she wanted to come and live with him? But she could have said that yesterday... with a gasp, he realized that maybe the thing she wanted to tell him was unpleasant. Maybe that she had cheated on him? Or even worse, that she was going to leave him for a cool, muscle-packed guy by the name of Johann? She had named him that way when he was her cat, that meant that he was an old crush of hers! That had showed up again and wanted to... argh! How could he wait until six to find out?

* * *

Luise was waiting for Feli to show up. Damn him. He was always late.

When his trademark cloud of violet smoke appeared, Feli kneeled in front of her, bleary-eyed and crying.

"Luise! Don't dump me for Johann! I love you! He just wants to get in your pants!"

Luise was stunned. "Uhm... who's Johann?"

Feli looked up at her, sniffling and red-eyed. "You mean... you're not dumping me for him?"

Deciding to have him tested for insanity, Luise reassured him. She patted his head and said "No, I'm not dumping you for anyone. Stay calm ok? Breathe deep."

Feli gave a strangled sound that could express either happiness or relief. "Oh thank God, Luise! I was so scared... but if you don't want to dump me, then what is it that you still want to talk about?"

Luise blushed a beautiful shade of crimson. "...uhm... about that... you know... I kind of wanted to tell you yesterday, but I got a bit distracted. So, anyway..."

Feli looked at her, wondering what cold make her that flushed.

Luise took a very deep breath.

Damn, she just could not say it out loud.

Suddenly, she got an idea. She got up from the couch and ran to her room with a "Wait here, ok?"

Feli was starting to wonder if something was seriously wrong. He knew that Luise was shy, but she never had problems telling him what was on her mind. He bit his bottom lips, worried. What was she going to tell him?

Then she reappeared in the living room, her beloved laptop in tow.

Feli smiled. That was the very laptop he had used to talk to her the first time...

She sat down beside him and typed something on it. When she was done, she handed it over to Feli, her face ablaze.

He smiled at her and read the message.

He read it again.

He looked up from the screen.

He looked back at it.

He looked as if he wanted to say something, then he stopped.

He started typing furiously on the laptop before handing it back to her.

Luise took the laptop back and smiled at what she read. She wrote something else under it and passed it back to Feli.

They continued sharing messages like that, feeling both very stupid and very happy.

* * *

I don't know... the laptop conversation is soooo Luise!


	23. EPILOGUE

Luise walked in the bathroom and found Feli, already in his pajamas, checking his hair in the mirror. His face held a look of utter concentration as he spotted the white hair that were starting to change the auburn color that had always been there for the last 600 years.

Luise felt a strange mix of sadness and worry at his simple gesture. She coughed, making Feli jump. He turned around and smiled at her.

"Hey Luise! Sorry, do you need the bathroom?"

Luise shook her head. "No. What are you doing, Feli?"

Feli let go of his hair and turned towards her. "Isn't it obvious?"

Luise blushed a bit. "Of course it's obvious! What I meant is... uhm..."

Feli looked at her flushed face. He couldn't suppress a smile. Even after so long, Luise was always the same.

She heaved a big sigh and asked him "Do you... do you regret it?"

Feli looked at her as if she was an alien. "Ve, what's there to regret?"

Luise blushed and looked away. "That you are getting old when you could be eternally young and all that..."

Feli smiled. He went to her and hugged her. "Ve, of course not. Do you want to know something?"

Luise hugged him back, burying her face in his chest. "... what?"

Feli stroked her graying hair and whispered in her ear. "There was more meaning in my life in the last 30 years than in the whole 500 that I lived without you."

Luise could only hug him tighter. "That was a bit corny, you know."

Feli chuckled. "Maybe, but that's the truth. I am so happy that I met you, Luise. If you weren't there, then we wouldn't have had Fritz and Annika, and we wouldn't have three wonderful grandkids..."

Luise's voice came out muffled. "... I'm just glad that I decided to keep you even though Gilbert wanted to kick you out."

Feli smiled widely. "It was only because I never scratched your couch!"

* * *

AArgh. I know what you're thinking. What kind of a lousy ending is that?

Sadly, I started editing things here and there and changing the fic during the upload. Then came the astounding quantity of homework that haunts me every-freaking-day. I have no time anymore, so I can't really keep up with fanfics. But I felt too bad about going on hiatus, so here it is. Complete.

Besides, I had a feeling that the story should have been over way earlier.

So, fluffy-kinda epilogue.

At least I didn't leave anyone hanging.

See you in the next fic (which will come in a looong time, I'm afraid)!

PS: I loved the reviews, you guys! They boosted my ego in a time where it's at its lowest. Damn university!


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